as in rigamarole
language marked by abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and circumlocutions
instead of simply denying our request, the mayor's representative gave us a song and dance about legal issues and municipal liability
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Recent Examples of song and dance
Yet, this lovable kids' series continues to teach positive messages through song and dance to this day.
—
Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 15 Jan. 2025
Though the story takes place in the fantastical world of Oz, Scott says the most successful musicals always have their moments of song and dance grounded in a sense of reality.
—Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2024
Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye star as Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, a famous song and dance team who rally their fellow Army veterans to put on a Christmastime show to help save a struggling resort owned by their former boss, Gen. Thomas F. Waverly (Dean Jagger).
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Lee’s followers deemed her the female Jesus Christ, and her worshippers prayed through song and dance, hence the fitting musical genre.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for song and dance 
Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 15 Jan. 2025
Though the story takes place in the fantastical world of Oz, Scott says the most successful musicals always have their moments of song and dance grounded in a sense of reality.
—Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2024
Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye star as Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, a famous song and dance team who rally their fellow Army veterans to put on a Christmastime show to help save a struggling resort owned by their former boss, Gen. Thomas F. Waverly (Dean Jagger).
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Lee’s followers deemed her the female Jesus Christ, and her worshippers prayed through song and dance, hence the fitting musical genre.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for song and dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song and dance
Noun
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Medvedev's comments, posted to Telegram on Saturday, suggested that Vance's rhetoric took European leaders by surprise and aligned with Russian criticisms of Western democracies.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
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And Williams and Wilmore hope that rhetoric will change.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Is there a company that prides itself on an absence of rigmarole?—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
22 July 2024
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Last season’s nail-biting seven-game battle was famously known as the I-80 series because both teams opted for the approximately 90-minute (depending on traffic) bus ride rather than the rigmarole of a short flight.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacramento Bee,
16 Apr. 2024
Noun
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As always, Yellowjackets is full of mind-bending detours, supernatural gobbledygook, and foliage-laden costumes.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2025
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Apologies to the Lois Lane stans out there, but Adams is mostly on hand in these movies to deliver stern gobbledygook (something about isotopes?) and stare at Henry Cavill’s cheekbones.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Fried memes and hysterical gibberish suffocate the internet nowadays.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2025
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This is compounded by the fact that at the center of the black hole lies a singularity, at which point all our laws of physics break down, making gibberish of even our most nuanced and profound achievements in physics.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Song and dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/song%20and%20dance. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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